Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
